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Sweet Potato Zuppa, White Beans and Crust

Man is this delicious, or what! And so easy. The beauty of pureed soup? Very little prep as it all get’s pulverized in the end. Ready made were the white beans in the freezer from a big batch made a couple of weeks ago, the veggies came from last week’s CSA, and the bread a cinch. After all is said and done, the aromatics of the curry and ginger fill the house with an away-from-Minnesota smell and we end up with a beautiful and satisfying Minnesota winter soup. Oh, actually, it’s not winter yet. Would somebody please tell Mother Nature – not it!

Zuppa Ingredients:

1 small red onion

2 Tbs. oil

1 inch piece ginger, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, cut into pieces

4 Thai chiles

1 tsp. cumin seed

1 tsp. garam masala

1 – 2 tsp. curry powder

2-3 sweet potatoes, diced

3-4 large carrots, diced

6-8 cups white beans, pre-cooked

3/4 cup condensed milk

salt to taste

Directions:

1) Saute the onions, garlic, ginger and chiles in the oil.

2) Once the onions begin to caramelize, add the cumin seeds, garam masala and curry powder. The idea is to toast the spices for a few minutes on a low heat.

3) Add the sweet potatoes and carrots and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

4) Use a blender to puree the sweet potato and carrot mixture and return to the stock pot.

5) Add white beans and salt to taste. Allow the soup to simmer for at least five minutes to bring the flavors together.

Crusts:

1) Slice a loaf of chiabatta or peasant bread.

2) Cover a cookie sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.

3) Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

4) Place slices of bread into oil and rub around to collect some of the oil, salt and pepper. Flip the slices over and do the same to the other side. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper.

5) Bake at 375 degrees just till the bread starts to brown on the edges. 7-10 minutes.